Island



CHARLESJJ. LEFFINGWVELL,` OE PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,

AND P. B. CARPENTER, OF NORTH PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

BOOT-LEG.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,335, dated May` 14, 1861.

To all whom 'itmay concern:

Be it known that I, O. H. LEEFINGWELL, of Providence, in the, county of Providence and State of Rhode Island,`have invented a new and useful Improvement in Legs for Boots; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of my improved boot leg. Figs. 2, 3, l and 5 show the leather" parts that form the boot-leg, in detail.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

The object of this invention and improvement in boot-legs is to so shape the boot leg that it will fit snugly to the ankle and calf of the leg. u

It consists in cutting the leather to form the leg in a novel manner, which will be hereinafter described and represented, and introducing elastic gores that are stitched into each side of the leg, in such amanner that the leg will accommodate itself to the conformation of the ankle, the parts about the ankle, and the calf of the leg, and form a perfectly close fit when the leg is drawn on.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention I will proceed to describe its construction.

The drawing fully illustrates the form of the improved boot-leg. The measurements are taken by passing a tape around the in'- step, from the heel, around the ankle and over the ankle bone, and, if necessary, above and below it, and around the calf of the leg as high up as the boot-leg is to extend. A is the front part or piece of the boot leg which is cut narrow at a, and swelling at b, and gently curved inward from a, to 5,-- the drawing, F ig.- 3, shows one half of this front piece. A V-shaped gore is cut out from this piece A, by doubling the piece lengthwise andcutting from c, to ci; and the piece B, Fig. 2, is stitched on in its place as shown in Fig. 1, this piece B, gives breadth of top to the boot leg, and a spring to the leg at d, Fig. 1. The vamp of the boot, which may be of the same leather as the pieces A, B, or of patent leather,7 is stitched to the piece A, from the edge e, around to the opposite edge. The next pieces are D, D, which are wide at the top any sized or shaped leg.

and cut on the front edges with curves corresponding to the curved edges ofthe front piece A. These two pieces D,D,are stitched to the edges of the piece A, as shown in Fig. 1, from a, to Z), leaving a portion of the leather projecting below the point c. E is the heel piece or quarters, and'F is the back of the leg, the shape of which isshownby Fig. 4f, in red lines; these two pieces. E, F, are stitched together, as shown in the drawings, and gores G, G, of india-rubber cloth are introduced between the edges of back piece F, and pieces D, D, and stitched up in the leg.

The back piece F, is cut with its `edges curved inward, as represented, so that it will give a. shape to the leg of the boot that will conform to the shape of the ankle when the boot is drawn on the foot adapting the parts, to the elevations and depressions of the ankle and heel.

When the pieces` A, B, D, D, Gr, G, F and E, are stitched together the boot is finished up in the usual manner either with patent leather vamp or quarter, or in any desirable manner.V boots may be made in this manner with the elastic gores introduced in the sides of the legs and cemented to the rubber back and front.

From this description of my improved It will be seen that rubber boot leg it will be seen that the object of the invention is, firstly, to obtain a close stocking fitting boot-leg which may be cut to fit Secondly, to give ease in putting on a boot made in this manner, and, thirdly, to obtain a greatsaving in stock. A close fitting leg which can be cut so as to fit the ankle snugly is obtained by giving the peculiar curve to the edges of the back strip F; and by increasing or diminishing this curve, and the width of the lower end of this piece, also by making the curve at o, in piece A, more or less abrupt. The i ankle bone outside and inside of the leg may be, in this manner supported and the lower portion of the leg of the boot, may be made to fit these elevations depressions and constrictions. Now by introducing strips of elastic cloth on each side of the boot leg, which extend from the top to the bottom of the leg, the boot may be drawn on and off with ease, at the same time the elastic cloth will contract when the boot is on, and draw the parts b, E, to their proper l places. By cutting the parts to form the boot leg in the manner herein described and represented there will be a great saving of stock over the old method of cutting boot legs, as each piece is cut separately, and so cut, that it will fit closely to that part of the leg for which it is intended.

I have thus obtained, a method of cutting boot legs, by which I am enabled to lit any leg, deformed or natural, by measurement,

the most eXtreme measures can be itted with both ease and taste and with no additional expense over the old style leg as the saving of stock in the cutting will compensate for the additional expense of elastic cloth used and time required to stitch it into the leg.

I do not claim as new the insertion of india rubber cloth in a boot leg to render it elastic as I am aware that has been done betore; but I am not ,aware of any previous instance in which a boot leg has been cut in the manner particularly described, nor any which so fully accomplishes the combined objects which I have in view.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A boot-leg constructed of the pieces A, D, D, F and E, cut in the shape represented in the drawings, with the elastic pieces G, Gr, introduced in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

CHARLES H. LEFFINGWELL. Witnesses:

JNO. H. SCOTT,

L. W. BUTLER. 

